Watching the game on Saturday mate of mine commented that mantellato is not justifying his place in the team at the moment. He's currently missing kicks which is basically why he's in the team. Without the kicking he doesn't offer much more. Doesn't run his weight, no pace and has dropped a few high bombs (yes, some were tricky but he's got a foot start on everyone else). He also bombed a simple chance to get us back in the game on Saturday. For me, and I'm not his biggest fan
for non rugby reasons, cockayne needs to be on the wing as offers a lot more. Maybe think I'm a bit harsh but 1 first grade appearance for a 27 year old seems to now make sense.

I agree with Josh I noticed at saints game that maybe we should give Dixon a go on the wing and put Ben at full back, but i thought BC defence on the wing on sat was excellent so Dixon or charlie on the wing and who ever doesn't play on wing to play at full back which ever Chester decides Josh should be given a rest

I disagree! ......Josh has been there to finish tries (just like a good winger should do), he has taken high balls kicked on the last tackle (just like a good winger should do), he has ran the ball out of his own 20m line and relieved his forwards (just like a good winger should do) and he has kicked 2 points more times than he has missed 2 points! .....Just because his team mates haven't put him in the clear and because he has missed a couple of kicks and bombed a solitary try within the Castleford game, this is the reason why he should be dropped?! ......Dixon booted the ball out and gave Castleford a 30m head start, should he also be dropped for this misdemeanor?

He would be getting a fraction of the money someone like Sio or Blair is getting.
I don't know what you pay your local players, but as an import he signed for minimum just to have a chance to make it in a senior comp.
I haven't seen much of your play, but from what I've read he hasn't been getting many opportunities to show what he can do.
He is faster than he looks because most guys who take long strides appear to be going slower than guys who take short strides, but I've seen him outrun guys like Bryson Goodwin and other noted speedsters.

I don't think you should compare him to your other imports, but to your local players, because he isn't on the sort of money you pay for an experienced NRL player.

He's done well in my mind one poor game along with 16 other players that day also

I thought he was close to being MOM against Huddersfield. As Frankie said they all had an off day against Cas. It's hard for a winger to have an impact when your pack has been smashed.

Hey I've got an idea if you don't want him start a forum to get rid of him i'm sure you will get huge support. Better still I hear Ryan Hall is out for a few weeks maybe loan him to Leeds and he will come back and bite KR in the hahahahah.

I thought Josh Mantellato had his best game for us against Huddersfield (although not with the boot).

Against Cas he had an opportunity which he didn't make the most of and missed his only goalkick by a distance. He didn't have much chance to make amends we were on the back foot all game.

I wouldn't judge him on the Cas game alone especially after he did well the week before but for me we still haven't seen the very best of Ken Sio yet he is the 2nd top try scorer in SL with 9, Mantellato has 2, that probably reflects the difference in class between them.

Josh really has to get his kicking boots back on if he wants to remain a first choice pick. Early in the season he was kicking everything from everywhere but the nerves seem to have kicked in and he is missing eminently kickable ones now. it's just fortunate it didn't cost us against Saints and Huddersfield.

Dixon is a very special talent with express pace who can win a game in an instant, Cockayne is a ball of energy who will die for the cause and has the best understanding of full back play than anyone else we have.......... to make the team Josh has to keep one of them out. That can be justified only if he returns to top goalkicking form, without that he doesn't offer as much as the other two, IMO.

I like him. Good defender, carries the ball strongly and is deceptively quick. Nailed on left winger all season

I think someone has a personal issue rather than a rugby league issue with Mantellato

Who has and what is it?

good kicker and looks ok under the high ball, but looks snail like in attack,

I think if you look at his stats v's the other 3 he is ahead in some and on par with others.
I don't think its easy to score when the ball doesn't come down your side - bombed an easy one the other day yes, but had 2 weeks of dissallowed tries - when a similar one was given recently in another game....
He looks slow but his strides are long, haven't seen him in full flight in a super league game yet, he does have some speed when he winds up.
I think Dixon and Cockayne make more errors - silly errors if you know what I mean.
Having said that they are all human, they are all trying.
I think the team is going well considering we have no forwards, and they are practically all new to each other. Big fellas up front is what we need.

Finally someone with a football brain and talk commonsense.
In a recent game against St Helens Welham made a break and passed the ball to Albert Kelly in full flight and beside Kelly was Mantellato running shoulder to shoulder with Kelly. It just goes to show that his long strides make him look slow. In relation to scoring tries look at the stats and you will find that over 80% of tries are scored down our right side which is Sio and Kelly side of the field. Rovers have not utilised his height when bombing the opposition.

I'm pretty sure Roopy also made a comment in relation to this in one of his posts, without trawling through all of them i'm pretty sure he said Josh could more than keep up with one or two of the known speedsters in Australia.
As you say, although he may appear slower than some other wingers, his long strides will allow him to cover more ground with each stride, not rocket science when you stop to think about it.

I wouldn't put him down in the top 10 wingers for speed, but I don't think he'd be in the bottom 10 either.
His height is his top weapon.
Once saw him matched up against Dimitri Pelo in a NSW cup game at Cessnock. That was a mismatch for the ages.
Pelo is about 4 foot tall I think, and Josh didn't even have to jump to beat him every time.
I think Josh got 3 tries that day.

He looks a bit awkward to me, like Bambi on ice at times.

Top point scorer in the comp till this round. Strong brave good in the air defending and attacking. Very few errors. Looks like a very decent winger to me. Strong finisher too.

Rovers fans obsession with finding a place for the bigot baffles me. Yes lots of effort but lots of errors and penalties. Good off the bench.

Dixon Mantellato and Sio look like the future to me and a good one too.

I agree I'm sick of hearing cockayne gives 100% and all that give me a great player giving 75%

^^^^^^ This. He was found out as not being good enough 1st time around, so we decide to give him another go in his 30's.

Can Mantellato keep his place now please.
Pretty decent today.....just the four tries and a mountain of a game all round. Top point scorer in this comp now. There's a pattern isn't there with this bloke.
Finally kicked to him and surprise surprise.


Gollum's commentary sounds like the podcast of a dementing man.

4 tries 7 goals 1 assist good running out relieving the forwards I guess that's what he brings to the team

Glad he's proving me wrong. Long may it continue.

You've caught a bad case of commentators curse there mate. We all do it and it's good of you to eat humble pie so well in further response just now.

Glad I refrained from any comment until now.

He's put in a well deserved MOM performance at Odsal and has delivered a winning performance when the team needed it, as we were staring down the proverbial barrel with 15 to go.

While we're at it, let me champion John Boudebza. Catalans loss is our gain regarding him.

There are players who need the right team and environment in which to flourish. Both these guys fit into this criteria. They will both only get better.

Hold my hands up and say i was wrong well played josh